


La Vérité de Nous, Toi et Moi

by freckleslikeconstellations



Category: Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bickering, CEO, Doubt, Drama, F/M, Fantasy, Fear, Fluff, Frustration, Grief, Loss, MLQC, Misunderstandings, Romance, Rowing, Spoilers, Stress, Summer, Trip - Freeform, loveland city, motherly advice, producer - Freeform, threat, time-control, wetsuit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 22:29:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20053564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckleslikeconstellations/pseuds/freckleslikeconstellations
Summary: Victor grows fed up of waiting, but MC is too overworked to figure out the truth of them and so she needs a little help.





	La Vérité de Nous, Toi et Moi

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for all your support. :3 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this. :)

It was late. In Loveland City a few rouge cherry blossoms had floated past the window of the mostly dark tower block, as if someone were stood in the sky and making them twirl about like ribbons. Behind one of the lit up windows a man in a pinstripe shirt and dark suit jacket had been sat by his desk. His back had been turned to the sight of the outdoors. “I have to tell you something.” Victor had been tired, but he’d wanted to let his mother know about this all the same, even though he’d been aware of the fact that he was perhaps being as idiotic as the girl he’d intended to talk about. His mother was dead and as much as he’d hoped that she’d be able to hear him it was rather wishful thinking. “I’ve found her again,” his voice had tightened then, as he’d given her the biggest news he’d had in a while-the last being when he’d been made CEO of the company-before it had all suddenly rushed out, “She’s a producer now. She doesn’t seem to remember me. Although she should be grateful-I don’t think she’d last very long if I wasn’t there to look out for her.” 

_‘Victor,’ _ he’d heard his mother’s voice as clearly as he’d remembered it, or perhaps it had only been his memory’s invention, but she’d sounded stern and chiding all the same. He hadn’t liked it when she’d come across that way, but he’d missed her and how she’d always seemed able to guide him, even though they hadn’t really lived together all that long and even though for most of his life he hadn’t been able to be in close contact with her. He’d wondered sometimes, as his own powers had developed, what would have happened if he’d been able to stop time right before she’d left them and stop her too with it. Her eyes, though still, would have probably persuaded him to release her however, and to do the right thing and face the consequences of it all. His gift had seemed exciting at first, but it had soon held a responsibility and the knowledge that time couldn't really be stopped _forever._ At some point time, and possibly the people with it, _had_ to move on. 

Victor had sighed at that point. He’d wondered if he’d be able to keep the girl in his sights or if she’d escape his gaze again. He hadn’t been able to help but feel impatient by it all. Why hadn’t she been able to remember him? Was it more than just her idiotic behaviour? Would her feelings take longer to surface because of it all? “I know what _mine_ are,” he’d murmured, his voice dark and stubborn. 

‘You must be patient. That is the _only_ way,’ his mother had reminded him forcefully, as she’d sent a warm caress over his shoulders and Victor had nodded. 

“Of course I’ll wait,” he’d decided. 

**Several Months Later…**

Stood inside Victor’s office and holding my mobile phone with one hand I had tried to pay attention. It was summer, just about still, but it had felt like a very long time since I’d had my island break with Victor and there had been a lot of late nights after that point. I’d also had to do my usual errands for him and had, had to drink a lot of cheap coffee and snack on junk food just to get through it all. Neither thing had seemed to appeal to Victor however. He’d berated me and taken my chips off me more than one time. He was reading the batch of latest reports that were partially responsible for me not having much of a social life or time for myself at the moment. As usual his face was inscrutable and only the odd hum or impatient tut, before he’d flipped the page had punctuated the cool air of his office late that Friday evening. He’d been in his usual dark attire. I’d thought back to when he’d worn more casual clothes during our vacation and had closed my eyes at the memory. I’d only intended it to be for a moment, but my eyes had been reluctant to open as soon as they’d tapered shut and sleep had tugged at me. Its threads had threatened to pull me under. I’d suddenly swayed on the spot and my eyes had snapped open at the steadying hand that I’d felt upon my back. The expanse of it had been large, warm and smooth-something that I might have relaxed into if I hadn’t been so shocked about it. Victor had been suddenly in front of me. His grey eyes had examined me beneath his usual pristine raven-coloured hair. His hand had still been on my back. 

“You know,” he’d told me leisurely, though I’d detected a spark of danger around his words, “I won’t stop you from falling again.” 

“I don’t need you to,” I’d said haughtily, before I’d stepped back from him and his hand had dropped from where it had been warming my skin through the thin fabric of my light-coloured dress with its purple patterning. The fabric had swayed and rustled until he’d let go of it. 

His eyes had studied me then. “You should be wearing something warmer at this time of night.” I’d sensed the undercurrent to his words and what he’d _truly_ been saying-that I owed him for all of his advice and for the weird, and the slightly sadistic way, that he’d seemed to look out for me. I _hated_ owing people. That was why any errands or help that I gave people around the city and at work tended to be done as quickly and as efficiently as I had possibly been able to do them. With Victor however I’d never seemed to _stop_ myself from owing him and oddly enough I hadn’t been able to imagine it and what it might mean if I had done. All I’d known was that it had made me feel unsettled and I’d sensed that, however much I might have cursed under my breath and rolled my eyes about it all, the sense of achievement and accomplishment was far greater this way. Perhaps it was the fact that he _made_ it so hard for me that made me feel so good whenever I was able to help or get some sort of reaction from him? It was like a never-ending puzzle and challenge… “Penny for your thoughts?” He’d touched at my hair lightly with his fingertips then and I’d shrunk back from him a little. The wisps had curled away from his hand. 

“What if someone were to walk in?” I’d looked around at the door. The part of the hallway that I’d been able to see had appeared empty. Everything had been so dark and quiet. The only sounds had been the faint hum of electricity from the light overhead and the rustle of his suit, as he’d lowered his hand. I’d felt foolish as I’d looked back at him. 

_“Dummy,”_ he’d told me, his voice had been almost fond. 

“Can’t you give me a break?” My tolerance for his behaviour was quickly fading. I’d folded my arms and attempted to give him my best stern expression. Victor had chuckled at that and had seemed to find it cute though, which had aggravated me all the more. 

_“Come,”_ the CEO had sighed upon reading my face. He’d strolled past me and led the way out of his office. His hands had gone in a leisurely fashion to his pockets as he’d done such a thing. 

“Where are we going?” I’d followed after him curiously. I’d had to work the next day, and _Sunday,_ I’d imagined, would be spent in a sleep coma and eating all the snacks that I’d be able to manage away from Victor’s watchful gaze. I was sure that he was aware of the fact that I’d had to work the next day too and had not been able to foresee where he might be taking me. We’d headed inside the elevator-it had been a short wait since the sane workers had already gone home-and I’d watched with interest as Victor’s finger had pressed for the ground floor. Maybe he was allowing me to go home? Maybe we’d be able to talk about the reports that I’d submitted the following day? That would be nice, I’d thought vaguely. I’d yawned then and Victor, who had been stood fairly close, had side-eyed me. I was sure that I’d heard him mutter, ‘Silly girl,’ too, before he’d grabbed at my wrist and stalked out of the elevator. I’d had no choice but to follow him, though his manner and possible words, as well as the draft that had blown in through the rotating door of Love Financial Group had woken me up again. His touch had seemed to scald me. I’d wrenched my wrist free with some difficulty-so tight had his grip been upon it. He’d turned around to me with a scrunched forehead, a small flickering of something in his eyes and a frown upon his face. His eyebrows had risen at my infraction. “I asked you a question.” I’d folded my arms. “I don’t mind if you’re putting me in a car, so that I can go home, but I’d like to be _told_ about it, and not dragged around, whilst you expect me to do whatever you want me to. I'm not a child so stop treating me like one.” 

“You are as _ignorant_ as a child,” Victor had dared to say, not intimidated by me in the least. 

“What does _that_ mean?” He’d studied me for a moment and as I’d caught my breath some of my anger had faded and I’d been suddenly worried that I’d overstepped. “I'm cold and I'm tired. I just want to go home,” I’d tried to quickly excuse my poor behaviour and at the same time hopefully ensure that he would give me some answers. 

“Silly girl,” he’d probably repeated and any answers that he might have been able to give me hadn’t been that forthcoming. 

“There you go _again.”_ My fingers had grown tight upon my arms and had almost pinched at my skin. His attitude and the way that he had a penchant for keeping me in the dark had really bothered me. It had been ages since we’d first met. Hadn't he seen the potential inside me by then? Felt as if he’d been able to trust me? At least _known_ that I was trying to do my best? Some nights I could have shrugged it off as Victor just being Victor, but I hadn’t been able to in that one. Why was he always so determined to put me down? I was fed up of it. I was beginning to feel more deflated from it than ever before. 

“You can’t think straight,” he’d seen through me with ease and before I’d even realized myself that my anger had been clouding my judgement and making me forget everything that he’d done for me. “Didn't you realize how much work being producer would be?” he’d gone on then. “Most people _know_ how to balance their lives. They don’t need other people to do it for them,” he’d told me pointedly. 

“I never asked you to,” I’d replied, stung if he meant the vacation and the prospect that his memories of it might not be as fond as mine. I hadn’t known then _why_ it had bothered me so much. “In any case it’s not as if _you’re_ setting such a good example. _You_ work late,” I’d told him petulantly and given him a dark look from beneath my fringe. I’d felt cross with him for making me so emotionally mixed-up and with myself for always going along with whatever he wanted and for sounding like the child he’d accused me of being in that moment. 

Victor had puffed out a breath and had grasped at my arm with a non-negotiable firmness. A scowl upon my face I’d dug my heels in for a moment, before I’d allowed him to manhandle me from the building. 

_“Dummy,” _ Victor had said, his voice considerably less affectionate. The wind had whipped around our legs and hair as we’d made our way from the building to the curbside where a black car had been parked. Victor had still held onto my arm, as he’d unlocked it with his other. The car had made a sound and its lights had flashed momentarily. It dazzled the glossy pavement and had made the water upon it more visible. I had tried to remember if it had rained earlier, but had failed to. Victor had only let go of me when we’d been right beside the passenger door. He’d pulled it open. “Get in,” he’d droned and had sounded almost bored. 

“I can get a taxi”- I hadn’t wanted to take up more of his time then and more to the point I hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near him. 

He’d chuckled and I’d felt the heat of sheer irritation flare through me again. 

With a huff of breath I’d gotten inside the car. Victor had handed me the seatbelt to make it easier for me to pull it across my body and then had closed the door firmly. I’d been surprised and had listened as he’d opened one of the car’s back doors and had rummaged inside it for a moment, going through what had been on the seat there. I’d been further shocked when he’d shut the door and had re-opened the passenger one, before he’d handed me a wool grey blanket. I’d half-touched at it instinctively, before my eyes had flicked up to his. Something in his own had shone at that point, but his lips had been a firm line. He’d pushed the blanket further into my hands. “You’re freezing,” he’d murmured, “And as expensive as this car is, it’s going to take a little while to warm you up.” There had been a wryness to his words. I’d taken the blanket and had barely managed to tell him, ‘Thank you,’ before Victor had closed the door in my face and had hurried around to his side. He’d started the engine without any further ado and the car had purred into life. 

“Where are you taking me?” I’d asked, as he’d pulled his own seatbelt on and adjusted some dials on the control panel. 

“Just get some rest.” He’d nodded at the blanket. “It will be a while. Or do you want to disappoint me again by _not_ doing what I want you to?” 

“I don’t see why I _have_ to do what you want, unless it’s in a work context of course”-I’d added hurriedly-“But in any case I _always_ do.” 

_“Yes,”_ Victor had chosen to acknowledge that truth briefly, but there had been something beneath his tone, which had made me feel uneasy. It was as if he’d wanted me to pick up on something. “But even so you’re not as efficient as you could be. We could have had the reports done by now if only _someone_ had managed to stay awake.” There was an unfortunate honesty to his words and I’d unrolled the blanket a little and draped it over me. “Good girl,” Victor had told me. I’d been tempted to give him the finger, but had refrained from doing so. Victor had chuckled as if he’d known what I’d wanted to do. 

*

The girl had fallen asleep, _predictably,_ before they’d even made it out of the city. Victor had muttered under his breath about how obvious she was and then been forced to pull over and stop momentarily in a lay-by when her phone had buzzed and trilled and threatened to wake her. He’d tugged her phone away from where she’d left it on the dashboard and where it had been vibrating. He’d seen that Gavin had been trying to get in touch with her. The man obviously had some sort of tracker on her person and was aware that she was heading towards the city’s outskirts. He’d sent a message back, pretending to be from MC and saying how she was heading on a short trip. Gavin had sent one back almost immediately voicing how he’d be waiting for her to return. Victor had felt annoyed with the man.

_“See?”_ he’d said to no one in particular, “This is why she can’t see what she feels for me. There are too many distractions in the city.” 

‘Perhaps,’ his mother’s voice had echoed inside his head, as Victor had put the phone down roughly and driven off once more, ‘But are you sure it’s wise to risk her _not_ seeing the truth, whilst you’re away? There is no guarantee that by taking her away again she will see the light and people who aren't so friendly and knowledgeable of you both might begin to talk. This is the second trip you’ve had with her in as many as a few weeks…’ 

He’d appreciated his mother’s concern. He felt tight about the thing himself, worried about taking a misstep. About going wrong and wishing that he had not only been able to halt time but re-wind it altogether. He had not wanted whenever he thought of her to be filled with regret like his thoughts of his mother often were. He had not wanted to _lose_ MC again. 

‘You won’t Victor,’ his mother had seemed to sense the most important part of what he was feeling and had put all her doubts aside to reassure him, ‘Things will work out this time.’ 

“I hope so,” Victor had murmured, “I only need for her to see the truth, or _some_ of it anyway”-

‘The _whole_ truth can be an alarming prospect,’ his mother had agreed with him.

He’d driven the rest of the way in silence. As the night had seemed to reach its darkest and most lethal point Victor had pulled into a small car park, which had been on the edge of a forest and at the foot of a mountain. He’d rummaged inside his pocket for the key that he always kept on him just in case he’d needed it. He’d glanced at MC uncertainly at that point. He’d needed to take her to where they would be staying. Yet he hadn’t wanted to wake her up and it had seemed more prudent to open up the place and _then_ come back for her. He hadn’t wanted to leave her. _So,_ because it had been necessary, he’d stopped time and her with it. _Then,_ as he’d left the engine of the car on, not wanting to take the risk of her being cold if some of his powers slipped or if something were to happen to him, he’d clambered out into the night and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The threads of cold and dark had seemed irritated by his presence and by the way that he’d ultimately stopped them in their tracks, as if they’d been denied a victim. He’d felt a little ominous from such a thing and the hairs on the back of his neck had prickled. Usually he would have brushed the thing off, but whilst MC had been so close the feeling had lingered and failed to leave him. He’d hurried down past the old, stone boathouse, around the edge of the lake which had been frozen mid-ripple to the covering of trees-equally caught by time’s grasp in mid-breeze-and then through them to the clearing where a group of wooden cabins had stood. He’d unlocked the one that the key had been made for and had hurried all the way back to MC. He’d still kept time immobile, as he’d stared down at her in the passenger seat and had wondered how he would move her. _Finally,_ he’d pulled the blanket from her, thrown it into the back and tugged her up into his arms, shuffled her, so that he’d first been able to close the car door and then lock the car itself. He’d taken a moment to stare down at her, his eyes fully used to the dark by that point. She’d seemed to fit so neatly into his arms. “How lucky I am that I get to hold you again,” Victor had murmured, his face gentle and tender in contrast to the darkness that had been all around him. Carefully he’d pulled her closer to him then and had carried her all the way to the cabin. He’d walked more slowly to ensure that he wouldn’t fall with her in his arms. Finally he’d been able to lower her on one of the two single beds and had folded the white quilt back around her. _“There.”_ He’d brushed her hair back from her face, as her head had settled against the pillow. He’d taken the bed that he usually took and had snuggled against the pillow, as he’d faced her. He’d hoped to bring her here with him one day, but it had seemed surreal now that the thing had actually come to pass and he could have watched her all night. His mother’s memory close and heavy upon him however, he’d restarted time and accepted that there was a time limit to the trip and for him to get things right. 

*

I’d woken in an unfamiliar place. As I’d sat up I’d seen that I had been underneath what had felt like a never-ending quilt on a bed in a small cabin that had been made out of wood. I’d soon noticed that there was another bed to the side of my own, a small gap in between them. That one had been perfectly made up with a grey quilt. My skin had prickled though-for a fresh scent that was lightly mixed with a cinnamon spice had seemed to hover over it and encroach, ever so slightly, on my own space. I’d sensed that the bed had been slept in. What was worse was that I’d _recognized_ the scent as one I had smelt before and often in Victor’s office and _even,_ on occasion, coming from the man himself when I’d been close enough to pick up on it. My stomach had flopped over as what I’d remembered from the previous night had come back to me then. I’d been in LFG and I’d said a few things-things, which I’d regretted in that moment of clear, bleak light. Victor had been driving me to somewhere. It was at that point that I must have fallen asleep and lost out on my chance to question and work out where we were going. Keen to find out I’d wrestled my way out of bed-still in the dress that I’d had on the previous night, although my feet had been bare-and had seen that a note had been left for me on the bedside table.

**Good morning Dummy,** it had read, and I’d felt that prickling of wrath that I’d started to associate with Victor alone. **Or it might be afternoon by the time that you pin your eyes on this. Even if you awake any sooner than that you might miss it being the idiot you are.** I’d huffed at that point and had pushed my hair away from my face impatiently. “Get to the point,” I’d muttered, as I’d wondered where Victor and even myself were for that matter. **I hope you will see it though because if you don’t then it will be an utter waste of my time.** I’d swallowed at that point, as I’d felt the threat behind his words. **In any case,** he’d written, as he’d quickly moved on from his displeasure with me, **As soon as you are up you should put on what I have selected for you in the wardrobe-** my eyes had spun to catch sight of the old wooden wardrobe behind me, which had been one of the few pieces of furniture in the room-**and meet me by the lake. Do** not **keep me waiting,** that impatience had re-surfaced. He had not signed his name, but it had looked like there was no more than that written there because when I’d turned it around the other side of the notepaper had been blank, and in any case who else could it have been from if not him? I recognized his writing and what was more was that Victor’s voice had hung in my head with every word I’d read, as if he’d been uttering them himself. He’d managed to intrude on me even without physically being there. I’d sighed and grumbled about the fact that I now had to _wear_ what he wanted me to-even though he’d picked out nice clothes for me previously.

I’d made my way to the wardrobe. I had not had to work out which piece of clothing Victor meant or worry about misunderstanding his intentions because there had only been _one_ outfit in the small wardrobe, and that was a one-piece wetsuit in black with pink stripes along the hips and with the legs in the same colour. A dusky rose-coloured life jacket had hung over it ominously. No shoes had been provided for me so I’d assumed that the white ones I’d taken to wearing and which I’d worn the previous night would be good enough. Whoever had deposited me in the bed-_Victor,_ I’d reminded myself, for it must have been him, and I’d struggled then to imagine how he might have looked doing such a thing and the expression that might have been on his face-had left my shoes at the foot of the bed. With a sigh I’d gotten out what I was supposed to be wearing-the other free hangers had jangled as I’d done so-and fought my way into it. 

I’d winced when I’d made my way to the mirror to do my hair and seen myself in it. No matter which way I’d positioned myself the tight fabric that had covered and pressed into my flesh had done me no favours. I’d wondered if it was an attempt by Victor to humiliate and laugh at me. To get back at me for my words the night before. I supposed I would have to apologize, I’d considered, though I wasn’t particularly _inclined_ to do such a thing. The outfit looked hideous however and I’d chided myself. I should have insisted on going home. Put my foot down. In that moment I’d been God knows where, though presumably near a lake going by Victor’s words-I’d chanced a look at the two windows, but blinds the colour of old parchment had still stubbornly covered them up, as they had when I’d carefully checked them out, before I’d gotten changed-and expected to do Victor’s bidding and wear this outfit when I hadn’t wanted to. I’d tied my hair up in a ponytail and then pulled that ponytail back over most of my hair, before I’d fastened it again. Resigned to my fate I’d slipped on my shoes and marched out of there, determined to keep a good front up if nothing else.

What had felt like an assault of sunlight had hit me though as soon as I’d opened the door and I’d shrunk back a little and had covered my eyes. I’d soon flushed at the idea of someone witnessing my dramatic entrance to the world though-_especially_ Victor, who would have been sure to never let me live it down-and had forced myself to lower my arms. The cabin I’d been in had turned out to be part of a wider, more circular group. A burnt patch of ground, which people had no doubt used as a makeshift area in the past to create fire had been in a spot in the centre, whilst tufts of grass had struggled to grow here and there. A small white and yellow flower amongst one of them had caught my eye and I’d smiled at it, before my resolve had stiffened once more. Everywhere had been deserted though and my front had been for nothing. I’d made my way slowly towards where the light had been coming from and a supposed clearing in the trees, which had surrounded all the cabins, as I’d hoped that I’d be able to find the lake and Victor with it. I’d come across a rough concrete path, which bits had crumbled away from and it had crunched underneath me, as I’d walked and had squinted as the sun had more strongly hit my face from where it had been rising from behind the distant mountain tops. I’d made my way down the path and had squared my shoulders with the willpower to get through all of this. I came up with a plan. I would humour Victor, to make up for the previous night if nothing else and protect my company. Then I would get myself back to Loveland City somehow. The sound of the lake’s water that had rippled through the trees and from the breeze had distracted me. I’d rounded the path’s curve just as I’d begun to grow out of breath from the quick morning stroll-it was still rather chilly despite the upcoming promise of sunshine-and had at last managed to break myself free from the final remnants of the trees. I’d realized then that the large, still lake, which had just started to sparkle in the morning light, had been there with me all along. I’d stared at it in awe for a moment and gotten completely distracted, before I’d heard a voice, which had called across to me and then I’d seen Victor. He’d been waiting for me close to a small boathouse. A jetty had lain opposite it and it was there that he’d been stood, his side to the lake and facing me. He’d looked tall and almost a trifle concerned upon seeing me, before he’d let out a breath after he’d studied me and had then looked unusually relaxed and as if he were challenging me to do the same. He’d carried a small wooden rowing boat over one shoulder with one hand, as if it had weighed no more than your average folder at work and two oars with the other. It had never occurred to me that he’d be wearing similar clothes to me and I wished that it had done instead of just assuming that he’d be in another one of those dark suits and look completely out of place in the environment. I reminded myself that having been on vacation with him, albeit briefly, and seen him in casual clothes it should not have been that much of a surprise to me. I’d felt naïve again; also shy because what he had worn had made me stop and stare. His casual clothes had been nice before, but now he was no longer Victor the CEO at that point and that was definite. He was Victor the athlete _God._ His hair, which had been unusually rumpled in the light breeze, had caught the morning sun in between its strands. His tone and lithe body had been revealed to me in the dark wetsuit that had been covered by a blue and white life jacket. He’d seemed to shimmer and the sight of him had been surreal and like a mirage, as if he’d just descended from the sky and landed on earth to grace us mere mortals. 

“You’re late.” He hadn’t seemed to like the way that I’d been observing him and I’d prickled from his words. 

_“Early_ actually,” I’d been cool, as I’d reminded him, “You didn't think I’d be here until the afternoon.” 

“Still in a bad mood I see. I thought you might be offering me an apology after what you said to me last night.” There had been a smirk, which had toyed about his lips. 

I’d definitely had no intention of doing that then and had taken a couple of steps forwards. “What are we doing? I thought we were supposed to be _working_ today?” I’d almost added, _‘Going over the reports that we’d failed to yesterday,’_ but had caught myself just in time. 

Something had sparkled in Victor’s eyes however, as if he’d known what I’d stopped myself from saying and had felt amused by it. I’d frowned. He’d then gone on to lift an eyebrow at me, as if to ask whether I was _sure_ that I really would rather be working in that moment? My frown had turned into a scowl then. He’d chuckled and I’d clenched my fists. How could he be so infuriating all the time? “Thought not,” he’d murmured, before he’d swung away from me. I’d stared at him. With a bit of smooth manoeuvring he’d plopped the boat down next to an identical one that bobbed next to the jetty and which was tied to it securely. “You shouldn't be working right now,” he’d told me softly as he’d tightened the latest boat’s rope to the jetty with the oars beside him. My heart had lifted in a foolish hope at this more understanding nature for a moment, but then-“If you do you’ll only let me down.” He’d glanced at me with a naughty grin about his face. 

“There was me thinking that you might be caring for me?” My heart had tumbled down as I’d rebuffed him. “That you were worrying that I might end up in hospital?” I’d folded my arms. He was disappointing me once more. 

Victor had turned his head and looked away from me at that point. His hands had still been on the rope and his eyes had gone to it from his crouched position. “I'm sure Lucien would fix you up, before that could even happen,” his words had been silky yet threatening and they’d thrown me for a moment. We’d _never_ talked about the other men who had been in my life. My personal life had been off limits-until that moment it had seemed. Victor had seized control of the situation all the more when he’d added, “I'm just looking at it from a point of efficiency and what is best for the business.” He’d seemed to sense that he’d stepped too far and there was flippancy to his tone. “Yours, as well as mine.” I had not liked the smile that had lingered on his face when he’d suddenly stood up and turned to face me head on. I’d stared at him, whilst I’d felt uncomfortable. Before I’d been able to break the moment however he’d gone on, “You might as well do something useful though and there’s no sense in you wasting time, which is why I'm going to teach you how to row in one of these boats. You seem to feel better after exercising with Kiro after all.” There had been a challenging expression to his gaze. One of my _own_ eyebrows had quirked up at the mention of another one of the men that I spend time with so soon after the first one had been mentioned. Victor’s expression had almost _dared_ me to say that, that was _because_ of Kiro and I hadn’t seen why he’d cared so much at that point. Victor had chuckled when he’d realized that I wouldn’t be saying anything. “Come on then, my little idiot,” his voice had crooned with a renewed fondness and he’d gestured with a nod to the boat that he’d put onto the water. He’d extended a hand, as if he’d been willing to help me into it. Unimpressed however, and still fuming from his way of treating me, I’d attempted to clamber down into the boat myself. I’d only just managed it. My heart had skidded like a stone upon the surface of the lake as the boat had rocked from side to side at my entry and I’d clung to its sides as I’d nearly gone overboard, before I’d shuffled around. Victor had been frustrated by my behaviour. “Must you _always_ be so stubborn?” _‘Yes,’_ I’d answered him silently in my head. “Though I suppose that is one of your advantages,” he’d murmured, more to himself than to me and that had thrown me. Had that been a _genuine_ compliment? He’d huffed at me impatiently as I’d waited for the catch, fixed my oars into place and then clambered into his own boat. Once he’d been settled and had looked regal, like a prince astride a horse rather than all squashed because of his long limbs, he’d studied me for one long moment. His grey eyes had assessed every inch of my face. He’d looked to the front, murmured, “Watch,” and untied his boat neatly. The oars had already been in place for him and still captive to the jetty I’d done as he’d instructed as he’d first sat back down once more and then propelled the boat towards the centre of the lake with gentle, but steady movements, his eyes on mine all the while. He’d seemed at one with the water and the ripples had trailed after him. It had been the perfect display. Victor had even turned the boat just before he’d made it to the centre and had looked at me from over his shoulder, “Now you,” he’d called to me. He’d seemed to have his doubts about how well I’d do-it had streaked through his tone like the boat just had through the water. 

Determined to prove him wrong I’d forgotten the boat had still been attached to the jetty and had attacked the water with my oars. Needless to say I hadn’t gone very far. 

_“Idiot,”_ Victor had muttered as my face had flushed and I’d realized my mistake. I’d missed the look of more gentle concern that had grown upon his face when I’d leaned unsteadily across to untie the boat with trembling fingers. The way that he’d wondered if he’d made a mistake after all in bringing me here, as I’d finally released the boat. I’d gotten myself sitting more neatly again and had tried to do the same motion with my oars that Victor had. Instead of shooting off gracefully like Victor had done however, the movements that I’d made had sent the boat around in a circle and I’d groaned in my mind. I’d been able to faintly hear Victor, as he’d tried to lecture me in the background, but his voice had paled when compared to my own frustration. The circle had gotten tighter and tighter. Victor had snuck up on me, before I’d been able to make things all the worse and had steadied my boat with one hand. “You need to stop fighting the water,” he’d told me when I’d looked at him crossly, his boat then level with mine.

“Just show me what you did before then.” I was still convinced that I’d made the same movements and hadn’t seen _why_ it hadn’t worked out for me. I’d tried to wriggle my boat away from him and create some distance between us. He’d tried to intercept the closest oar and stop me from making my mistake. I’d tried to wrench it away from him. My boat had rocked as we’d grappled together and Victor’s garbled words, that I’d paid no heed to, had become more frustrated with every second that had passed. I’d tugged and cried out in triumph, as I’d detected Victor’s hold loosening on the oar. My joy had soon turned into a scream though as I’d begun to fall backwards in slow motion. Time stopped. A passing bird had become a fixture in the sky, as if it had been pinned to its yellow, pale blue, red and white canvas. Clouds had stopped scudding. My body had been held in an arc over the water. My mouth in a silent scream. Eyes had begged for help. I’d felt Victor grasping at my arms, as if he’d been reaching through treacle to get to me and then how he’d tugged me forwards. As time had started again we’d fallen in a heap on to his boat, my body partially over his.

“You could have had us both killed!” Victor had huffed, as both of our heart rates had begun to calm down at the realization that the pair of us were safe and had been soothed by the softer swaying of the boat. His hands had pushed me away and then pulled me close again in a change of mind, before they’d tightened upon my back. My face had grown warm, as I’d been able to feel his breath upon my neck and smell his scent all the more clearly. It had been intoxicating. Cinnamon along with the sweetness of the morning. I’d tried to tug myself away from it all the same, but it had threatened to overtake me at the last moment and in any case Victor had not let me move all that much. For a daft moment I’d wanted to succumb to everything. To even close the gap between us and press my soft lips against his thin ones, which had been so close to mine-

Victor’s eyes had widened. A breeze had sent me back to my senses. I’d scrambled off him, but my chest had still heaved from what I’d almost done-what I’d, and I confessed this part to myself in no more than a whisper in my mind, _wanted_ to do. 

_“I-I”-_

Victor had slid up into a sitting position and had looked at me intently, as my mind had raced. Worried that he was going to see into my head and wanting to be as far away from him as possible I’d turned to the edge of the boat and had jumped into the water a moment later. “What are you-?” Victor had spluttered, on his knees as he’d peered over the edge of the boat. I’d surprised him for once. 

I’d felt glad of the distance and had almost laughed as I’d surfaced. A bit manically I’d begun to make my way to the shore. Victor had swung more elegantly into the water after me. “You don’t have to follow,” I’d called over my shoulder to him, trying to both reassure and keep him away. A dark cloud had surfaced in my head at that connection still being between us however and I’d sped up again. My feet had soon touched the bottom of the lake and I had been able to ascend towards the shore. “I'm going to dry off and then I'm going home. I don’t think any of this was a good idea…” 

“You don’t have any idea of where we are, do you? So how on earth do you think you’re going to get home?” Victor had bobbed there and looked after me. He’d wanted me to stay. 

“I'm sure I’ll manage somehow…I usually do.” I’d hesitated, before I’d turned slowly around to him. At the sight of him though-a little confused, anxious and questioning, as he’d bobbed there-I had not even been able to offer him a false smile. In my bare feet since I’d lost my shoes in the water I’d turned quickly away and finally reached the shore. As I’d become enveloped in the trees again, my mind, which had felt frozen with the weight of Victor’s stare upon my back, had cracked a little and had begun to race. I had not been able to quite believe that I was in love with him. Yet it had all made sense, so much sense too. His behaviour had bothered me the previous night and built up in the way it had because sub-consciously I’d already started to use every snipe and accusation against me as a point in favour for why Victor could not and would not feel the same as me. How could he after all? Powerful CEO falls in love with bumbling producer? Just the thought of it had been laughable to me. Yet agony had overtaken me at the crushing realization of how dreadful work would be from that point on. How I’d have to cover up my own feelings to keep the truth from Victor and how I would have to carry on-there was to be no thought about quitting, not when so many people were relying on me… 

*

“I thought I was getting somewhere with her. I thought she might have _actually_ realized for a moment and then she pulls away from me again. Why does it have to be so _hard?”_ Victor had whined to his mother, and he’d reminded himself, with a pang, of MC in that moment, forever complaining about the things he made her do for him.

_‘Patience_ Victor…’ his mother had pleaded with him. 

He’d been nestled in the rough curve of the pane less window in the stone boathouse. It had been far from comfortable, but he’d hardly noticed and his foot had nudged at an illicit cigarette butt that someone else had left behind there previously. His phone had been held in a loose grip to his ear, partly so that he hadn’t looked _mad, _ uttering to himself and partly because he’d felt more secure in talking to his mother in that way. “Its been _months…”_ He’d run an exasperated hand through his hair. “Why can’t she see that everything I do and _have_ done is for her own good? Why couldn't she have stayed with me just now?” He’d paused and thought about what he’d been saying. “She seems to take it all so personally sometimes…I'm _only_ trying to help her.” A breeze had ruffled then and had seemed to tell him that it was unwise of him to expect someone to know how he fully worked and what he really meant when the girl and he had only known one another properly for a few months as far as she was concerned. ““How much longer must I wait though? How dense can she _really_ be?” A stronger breeze had picked up at that point. “All right!” Victor had screeched and swatted at it and miraculously it had died down, as if it had sensed that he’d stop time if it had not. “She _never_ seems to see me in the way that I want her to…” The sun had felt warm upon his hair at that point, as if his mother had been happy that he was finally getting to the crux of the matter and what he was most unsure about. “I'm worried mother,” he’d murmured to her, “She always seems to have more fun with other people, to smile more _widely_ when she’s with them…maybe me hoping that she feels the same is just wishful thinking? Maybe she _hasn’t_ made the realization because there’s _nothing_ there for her to realize and _I'm_ the dumb one? The idiot?” his voice had been so faint, but the breeze had still attacked him because of his words nonetheless. “I know you think that I should still carry that hope with me, _but…_ maybe I was only allowed to find her again, so I could let her go? The more time passes the more that’s what I have to believe. The way it looks.” The wind had howled and battered the small boathouse in retaliation to his words. In his head however he’d only been able to see her last Moments post emblazoned there. She’d been trading banter with Kiro. They seemed to have easygoing conversations about food that Victor couldn't manage with her, even though he was _easily_ the better chef than Kiro. His phone had been almost crushed against his ear by the force of his hand in the present. “What should I do?” even as he’d asked the question there had only seemed to be one option left. “Tell her? Expose myself in that way?” He’d paused for a moment. “You think I should try a more honest approach since this isn’t working anyway? And if I can find the words to make her feel small and not understand then _surely-?”_ The sun had shone all the brighter. “I can find the words to do this?” He’d stared at the hills rather wistfully in the distance. “Find the words to tell her?” 

*

I had been sat on the corner of the bed when Victor had returned. I had still been in my damp clothes and had been crying-as much as I’d tried to get myself together I hadn’t been able to help it-a combination of being overworked, tired and stressed, along with Victor’s difficult attitude and the crushing weight of what I’d just felt, had led to that moment. I’d felt trapped and the fact I’d been so vulnerably exposed when he’d walked in hadn’t helped either. In a desperate attempt to make things easier for myself I’d combed the two strands of wet hair that had hung around my face closer to my cheeks. My hair had no longer been in its ponytail by that point and I’d hoped that it could have at least hidden me. 

It had seemed as if Victor had been able to see me just as clearly however. He’d stopped and closed the door behind him. His eyes had studied me. “Such an idiot.” He’d huffed out a breath, before he’d gotten on his knees before me. I’d opened my legs reluctantly to make it easier for him-doing what he wanted as was my usual default. “Do you have to take things so personally?” he’d asked me as he’d wiped away my tears with the pad of his thumb. I’d shrugged. He’d sighed. “Guess I have to tell you something then since you seem to be so slow on the uptake.” 

_“What?”_ I’d asked, and my voice had been as fragile as the cherry blossom petals back in Loveland City. He’d looked at me and I’d shaken my head, as I’d remembered who I was talking to. This was Victor. He didn't seem to react well to weakness. I’d seen that enough for myself. I’d corrected what I’d wanted him to respond to, “I need to talk to you too.” I’d stood then and Victor had taken a step back from me. His eyes had drifted over me. Slowly he’d smiled at the determination he’d detected from me. It had been the same sort of willpower that I’d expressed whenever I’d tried to get funding or complete the latest challenge that I’d taken upon myself to do in the past and I’d recognized it within myself as well. It had made me feel stronger somehow. He’d seemed to feel better from the familiarity also. “I-er”- I’d lifted my eyes up to his and he’d folded his arms then and taken on a gaze of superiority. His mother had whispered in his ear that he should not allow MC to distract him so much that he forgot to say what he’d intended in the first place. “I need to know,” MC had gotten his attention with her firm words, “That despite my-my mistakes of overworking and whatever I’ve said to you between yesterday and today that you will not take it out on the company or my staff firstly? It’s not _their_ fault that I'm so hopeless.” 

“You’re doing just fine,” Victor had murmured and she’d looked as if she were waiting for him to say more and crush her. _“Oh,”_Victor had assured her, “I'm not going to join in or let you throw yourself any more of a pity party than you already are. Your staff deserve better than that as well.” MC had glanced away from him at that point. She’d still looked unsure and he’d stepped closer to her then, as if to shield her. MC had shivered slightly and her mouth had pulled at the edges as she’d attempted to suppress it. Victor had smiled ever so slightly. MC had looked immediately defensive. Victor had sighed a little, as he’d been reminded of the fact that she had not always, and in fact _rarely,_ understood his intentions. He’d felt the pressing need to change it all. It hankered on his mind more than anything work related in that moment. Yet first he’d needed to clear her head of so much worry and guilt or she would not be paying any attention to his words, and he’d had _no_ intention to ever repeat what he’d wanted to tell her. He’d tapped on her forehead roughly. She’d scrunched her face up. _Then,_ as she’d remembered when he’d done that before, she’d smiled a little and her face had taken on a more hopeful expression. Her eyes had glowed with emotion. “Your punishment.” Victor had drawn himself up. “Now you can stop blaming yourself. As idiotic as you are I wouldn’t break the contract that’s between us. Can we move on to what _I _want to say?” he’d drawled and sounded bored again. 

She’d laughed in a watery fashion and had nodded. _“Okay.”_ She’d scraped a hand across her face, as she’d attempted to get herself together. 

To Victor’s own surprise he’d caught it on its way back down again. MC’s breath had hitched. She’d looked like she might say something at that point, but Victor had pressed a finger from his free hand to her lips. She’d nodded and had stared at him. “Do you _know_ why I brought you here?” he’d asked her offhandedly, as he’d let both of his hands drop loosely by his sides. He’d tried to give off the vibe that it was no big deal, but the way that he’d averted his eyes from her had told her otherwise. She’d shaken her head at him and had looked at him imploringly. He’d caught her action in the corner of his eye and had been quick to partially glare at her when she’d been about to confirm the, _‘No,’_ through her speech. Wisely she’d held her tongue. Victor had looked away. “I came here with my family once before mother left. I remember being happy. I thought you might be too if you were here.” He’d _truly_ glared at her when she’d thought that she had been about to make some kind of sympathetic noise. He’d _dared_ her to pity him. “Do you even understand _why_ I’ve done anything for you?” he’d asked. She’d looked up at him blankly, but something about her neutral expression had encouraged him. “It’s because it’s the only way I know how to behave, which might get your attention, and because it _helps_ you.” His body had begun to sway a little at that point and he’d looked uneasily away from her for a moment with folded arms, before he’d remembered something, as if his mother had whispered it helpfully into his ear and he’d murmured, “Oddly enough, it seems to be, in terms of when you give presentations, what works for you and spurs you on to do your best performance too.” He’d looked back at her with a kind of a mocking grin at that point, as if to ask what that said about her. His arms had loosened and his hands had fallen down to his sides where they’d searched for invisible pockets. Of course, wearing his wetsuit, he hadn’t found any. 

She’d frowned however and appeared more withdrawn than he was in that moment. “It _doesn’t_ work for me when it makes me feel this way,” she’d murmured, and her face had been tense and her fingers had fidgeted then, as if she hadn’t been sure if she should have said that or be proceeding any further with her words, “If I was at work right now then I don’t think I’d be able to concentrate, let alone act to the high standards that _you_ want me to…” she’d let her words trail away from her. 

Victor’s face had fallen. His mother had whispered something encouragingly in his ear; to the point where he’d been able to brighten and grow determined again to say, “Which is why I need to remind you and why I brought you here. I thought it might be the perfect place for you to calm down and realize that”- He’d grasped onto her fingertips with his gently. He’d barely been able to go any further. “The city is so busy”- 

_“Victor”-_ She must have sensed his reluctance for she’d pulled away and looked uncertain and half-unsure whether she’d wanted him to continue or not. She hadn’t known whether it would hurt her. 

“Just listen to me.” He’d brushed her hair back from her face a little more roughly than he would normally. “I don’t ask you to have lunch or dinner with me to _solely_ tease you, though I _do_ find it enjoyable that’s true,” he’d let his words linger and true to form she’d scowled. He’d laughed gently and with the delight that she always brought him. “I do it because I like to spend time with you. Call me strange I know.” He’d grinned at that point and MC had looked both touched and annoyed at the way he’d phrased his comment. Victor had rolled his eyes and forced himself to continue, “We’re both busy people, so a meal is sometimes the only opportunity that I get. Yet you never seem to notice that,” his voice had twisted in frustration then, “To realize that most people in my position wouldn’t give just _anyone_ a lift in the rain. That they wouldn’t go on cruises with them or accompany them to islands.” He’d looked at her a little maddeningly at that point and she’d smiled a little faintly and shyly as she’d remembered all those memories. “I meant what I told you back then,” he’d said softly, referring back to their island escape, “I will _always_ make time if it’s for you, yet you don’t seem to have realized that I do things with you and for you that I would not do with anyone else. That despite my best attempts not to I _have_ made a favourite out of you. I don’t treat you like anyone else and everyone apart from you seems to know it. That’s why I didn't need to worry about anyone walking in yesterday. In fact it would have been good if something _had_ happened between us because then you might have”-

_“Victor-?”_ she’d seemed a little alarmed, like a prey animal caught in the headlights of his gaze and that had not known what to do next. Was he really saying what it was beginning to sound to her like? Her heart had thudded unevenly. 

He’d sighed and held onto her shoulders. He’d stared at her, as he’d wondered _how_ many more words it would take and how explicit he’d have to be, for her to realize the gravity of what he was trying to tell her here. “I thought, that as much of a dummy as you are, that you would realize,” he’d gone on, as he’d tried to make her see at last how things should be between them, “That at some point, maybe when we were having dinner together, it would just click inside you. You’d stop eating, and of _course_ I’d know that something was wrong then,” he’d lightly teased her at that point and she’d looked both amused and irritated by his behaviour as she always had done, “Then you’d know, and _I’d_ know, but maybe…perhaps the only way you’ll know is if I tell you. That’s what I’ve come to see.”

She’d thought it impossible, and perhaps because him loving her had still felt inconceivable, she’d told him, “You say that, but I think I'm beginning to see where you’re going with all of this”-

_“Halleluiah,”_ Victor had muttered. 

“And I think, whether it does me any good or not, that I better tell you what I realized today, before you go on. We've probably got our wires crossed and you’re surely going to tell me in a moment, but when we fell together in your boat, _I”- _ she’d appeared apprehensive about what he might say about the whole saga, but he’d been diligently silent and somewhere in the atmosphere his mother had cheered-“I felt like I might, well I saw that, somewhere along the way, I’d…I think I’ve fallen for you…” She’d looked nervous and shy. 

“You _think?”_ Victor had pretended to be unimpressed, even though his heart had done a merry dance inside his chest at her having got _that_ far.

“I _know_ I have,” she’d corrected herself with an adorable small frown.  
A light flush had bloomed upon his skin at her words and he hadn’t wanted to miss a thing-not a breath, a word or even an action from her. “And-And I’ve gotta say that scared me a little”-

“I'm sure that it did,” Victor had finally spoken. His tone had belied a trace of amusement. 

Her cheeks had blown up indignantly, but when she’d swung her arms about her as she’d casted around for the right words he’d pinned them to her sides and prevented them from moving with his hands. “But now,” she’d taken a breath and looked grateful for his intervention, “And after what you’ve just said…”

_“Now?”_ he’d reminded her, as he’d let go of one of her arms and tucked a strand of her hair back from her face. He’d wanted her to stay on track. He’d been waiting for that moment for so long. 

“I don’t feel as scared any more.” She’d smiled at him at that point and the sun had seemed to come not just from her eyes but her entire being. It had warmed him and sent desire running through him. 

With a soft forcefulness Victor had pressed his thin lips to her slightly larger ones. She’d gasped and then her hands had gone to surround his cheeks, before one of them had slid down to settle upon his chest. 

“You want to touch me? That _is_ an interesting development.” She’d made an indignant sound, which had caused him to rumble with laughter and she’d felt the vibration of it through her hand and had stared in awe at the scene. Then she’d looked at him with a dark challenge about her face and Victor had known that he was in trouble at that point. Her hand had gone to grasp at the hairs on the nape of his neck, before she’d pushed his head down to meet hers. Their heads had nearly collided because of her action and Victor had literally stopped time, and her with it once more, so that he’d been able to correct her stance, before he’d gently pressed his lips to hers and made time flow again. Their kiss had grown more passionate with MC teetering on her tiptoes and her arms had wrapped themselves around his neck, whilst Victor had supported her hips, before they’d parted with a bit of a smile and a happy laugh from MC. Victor had looked as light as she’d seen him be beside the lake that morning and it had further encouraged her. 

“Is it _always_ like that?” she’d asked, as he’d gone to light a fire in the grate that was on the opposite wall to the wardrobe with rumpled hair. It would warm them up more quickly after their impromptu dip despite the fact that it was meant to be summer. MC had settled down on the settee that was just beneath one of the cabin’s windows and which had faced the two beds. 

“Pretty much,” Victor had shrugged and he’d looked playfully over his shoulder at her.

_“You-!”_ she’d spluttered, but there had been mirth in her eyes. His behaviour, though it would always serve to annoy her no doubt more than anyone else’s, wasn’t half as bad since she’d been reminded and further enlightened of its good purposes. 

He’d grinned broadly, more widely than she’d ever seen him do in fact, before he’d turned to get the flames nicely sparking and then had joined her on the settee. She’d needed no further prompting and had nestled her head close to his chest. As his heart had given off a massive and loud, ‘THUMP,’ inside it, he’d murmured, “Truth be told it’s _never_ like this.” He’d wondered then if he should tell her about how he’d known her in reality for a lot longer than she’d believed that he had and what it had meant to him to find her again, but it hadn’t felt like the right moment. ‘Small steps,’ his mother’s voice had echoed inside his head. Such a thing could wait Victor told himself. He’d done enough for one day.

“I didn't think it was,” she’d agreed with his words, “Ever since we met it’s like I think about you in a more heightened way than I do anyone else”-Victor had growled approvingly at that statement-“Maybe because you’re the only person whose gotten me so cross?” she’d teased him and had swiped a hand underneath her eye. Victor had kissed at her hair lightly. 

He’d had to check though, “Not the others? _Kiro?”-_ Jealousy had made his chest tight at that point and not even her touch had seemed to stem it. 

She’d seemed to realize something else in that moment. That as well as his strange capability to love her, which she hadn’t _dared_ to hope for, Victor was capable of doubt too. She’d turned his head a little roughly towards hers and had let his initially startled expression fade, before she’d pecked him on the lips. “Only you,” she’d gone on to reassure the usually strong and steadfast CEO. 

His face had been awash with relief for a moment, before he’d then taken on the usual swagger that she was more accustomed to when he’d said, _“Well,_ I guess it’s no surprise. I'm _clearly_ the better chef after all. Why _wouldn’t_ you think of me rather than him?” 

“It’s not _all_ about food with me.” She’d nudged at his side with a grin and had found his jealousy a rather good thing in that moment. She’d put her head beneath his chin. 

“It _isn’t?”_ Victor had pretended to be surprised at that point. They’d both laughed. 

Somewhere in his ear Victor’s mother had whispered wryly, _‘See?_ I told you it would all be fine,’ as her son’s arm had gone around the shoulder of his lover and the embers had crackled merrily in the fireplace.


End file.
